title: Long-distance practical quantum key distribution by entanglement swapping.
abstract: We develop a model for practical, entanglement-based long-distance quantum key distribution employing entanglement swapping as a key building block. Relying only on existing off-the-shelf technology, we show how to optimize resources so as to maximize secret key distribution rates. The tools comprise lossy transmission links, such as telecom optical fibers or free space, parametric down-conversion sources of entangled photon pairs, and threshold detectors that are inefficient and have dark counts. Our analysis provides the optimal trade-off between detector efficiency and dark counts, which are usually competing, as well as the optimal source brightness that maximizes the secret key rate for specified distances (i.e. loss) between sender and receiver.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Quantum Information Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4. ascherer@ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.forename: Barry C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tittel